07/09/2026
Big news!
🩵GRIEF, LOSS & BEREAVEMENT ARE NOW PART OF WHAT CHILDREN ARE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL.
From September 2026, bereavement has officially been included within the updated Relationships, S*x and Health Education guidance in England.
And honestly? It’s about time.
Every single year, children sit in classrooms carrying things that the adults around them may not even realise.
A child who has lost their mum.
A child whose baby brother or sister died.
A child grieving a grandparent.
A child whose world changed overnight, but who is still expected to come into school, learn, concentrate, make friends and carry on as though everything is normal.
Grief doesn’t disappear when the school bell rings.
For bereaved children, having grief, loss and bereavement spoken about openly can help them understand that what they are feeling is normal. It can help remove the fear and awkwardness around talking about death. And, most importantly, it can help children realise that they are not alone.
It also gives other children the opportunity to learn compassion, empathy and understanding so that when a friend experiences a bereavement, they know what grief can look like and how they might support them.
But we also need to remember something important:
Teaching children about bereavement is not the same as supporting a bereaved child.
Those children need understanding, flexibility, compassion and appropriate support long after everyone else has moved on.
For families like ours, this matters enormously.
Because our children shouldn’t have to hide their grief to fit into a classroom.
They shouldn’t have to pretend their brother, sister, parent or someone they love never existed.
Their grief is part of their story.
And now, finally, our education system is beginning to recognise that too.
